Profiles of Councillors and Committee members

As President and Chairman of Council, I am responsible for the overall leadership and management of the Society overseeing the strategic development of the Society including building international relations, as well as ensuring the effective and efficient operational management of the Society through the Officers and Councillors of the Society. The Society as a registered charity is accountable to its main beneficiary, ‘the public’ and achieves its charitable aims and objectives through the organisation of scientific meetings, prizes and awards, prestigious studentships and, outreach and leading edge Journals.

As Professor of Cell Technology at Durham University my research currently focuses on understanding how the micro-environment in which cells grow influence their structure and function to enable the construction of human tissue models for use in research and development.

As honorary secretary, I work closely with the executive administrator and have a variety of responsibilities related to general correspondence, travel, research, meetings funding and governance of the society. Much of this is dealt with through the chairing of the Prizes and Awards (P&A) committee. The P&A deals with the appointment of Fellows, Honorary Fellows, New Fellow of the year, the award of prizes such as the Anatomical Society Prize and the Symington Prize. Awards include the Barclay Smith and the Symington awards. The Departmental Seminar Awards and Research Studentship process require oversight to ensure good governance. The honorary secretary has a role in International affairs alongside the President and the Secretary of the company of Anatomists and ensures there is adequate representation of the Society Internationally and that good communications are in place checking reports are received, responded to, edited and forwarded for publication on the Web site and in Anastomosis. I am also an Emeritus Professor at Lancaster University.

As Deputy Secretary, my role within the Society covers a variety of functions; assisting the Secretary with various pieces of Society business. I also sit on the Prizes and Awards committee, serving as Secretary to this committee. Within the committee, I am involved in promoting, reviewing and administering the variety of prizes and awards that the Society makes available to its members.

I am Director of the Clinical Anatomy Learning Centre and Senior Lecturer in Anatomy at Lancaster Medical School, Faculty of Health and Medicine, at Lancaster University, UK. I teach all aspects of anatomy including embryology, microscopic and gross anatomy to first, second- and third-year medical and biomedical students. My research interests include bone and cartilage biology, microscopic anatomy, gross anatomy, medical education, and medical history. I also undertake a vast amount of outreach activities and am involved in various types of communication of research and anatomical education through mainstream media at a local, UK and international level.

As the Deputy Honorary Treasurer, I assist the Honorary Treasurer in all matters relating the financial control of the Society according to the rules and regulations laid down by the Charity Commission. This includes oversight of all income and expenditure, maintenance of the Society’s and the Company of Anatomist’s bank accounts and monitoring of the Society’s investment portfolio. I am also a member of the Finance and Investment Committee and the Research Advisory Committee.

I am Professor of Anatomy and Head of Teaching and Research in Anatomy at the Graduate Entry Medical School at the University of Limerick. My research interests focus on the developmental origins and lineage determinants of neural cell types, the vulnerability of nervous system development to intrinsic and extrinsic perturbation and the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis.

As meetings councillor I am in charge of making sure that the Anatomical Society organises and participates in a range of meetings that appeal to our members. Along with the local meeting organisers, the meetings councillor makes sure that meetings are academically stimulating, well-attended, run efficiently and to budget. As meetings councillor I am involved in forging links with other professional, biomedical and anatomical societies, encouraging joint meetings and spreading best practice.

As a Developmental Biologist with an interest in how shape is generated during embryology to create our anatomy I have a research lab at the Department of Craniofacial Development and Stem Cell Biology at King's College London. My research focuses on development of the face and head, looking at both clinical questions concerning birth defects and evolutionary questions concerning why we look like we do.

As Deputy Meetings Officer, I assist the Meetings Officer in organising our biannual conferences which aim to promote high quality science and research in the anatomical sciences.

As the University Clinical Anatomist in the Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, I organise the dissection-based anatomy teaching course for preclinical medical students, supervise clinically applied anatomical research, manage our team of senior and junior demonstrators, and run revision sessions for clinical students. I work with a number of clinicians on a range of projects, especially involving the gastrointestinal tract and musculoskeletal disorders, and participate as a faculty member on external courses for health professionals.

My role as Education Officer involves chairing the Education Committee as well as being a member of a number of other committees including research, membership and meetings. The Education Officer has oversight of all the society's educational research activities, some outreach projects and the educational development training (workshops, training schemes etc.). I act as an assessor and mentor for the Anatomical Training Programme. At present, our research activities are focused around the generation of core anatomy syllabi for various health professions. I work with hosts to put together the education components of the society's meetings which take place twice per year.

I am Director for Health Professions Education at Hull York Medical School. My research covers a broad range of educational topics including assessment, pedagogy and selection. I enjoy working in both the quantitative and qualitative paradigms. I am Associate Editor for the journals Anatomical Sciences Education and BMC Medical Education.

As Head of Anatomy at Brighton and Sussex Medical School, my drive is to improve the quality of the learning experience for students, whether through new innovative technologies, strategic curriculum decisions, training for teachers or through helping students directly. My research focus in anatomical pedagogy echoes this and ensures I deliver research led education. I hold International roles and have been awarded National teaching awards. As an established leader in anatomy education I led the project for the new core gross anatomy syllabus.

As a member of the Education Committee I have worked on a number of widening participation projects and worked closely with undergraduate students developing anatomical teaching resources that to be used in schools to teach Anatomy. I have also been involved in collating a selection of career profiles from experts who work in the field of Anatomy to act as a reference source to those who would like to pursue a career in the discipline. I have played a role in a number of curriculum reviews and I am an assessor and mentor for the Anatomical Training Programme.

As Senior Lecturer in Human Anatomy at University of Sheffield, I lead a team of staff teaching Human Anatomy at undergraduate and postgraduate level. I’m the Course Director of the MSc. Human Anatomy and Education and have developed a number of innovative modules including one which marries Anatomy and Forensic Science. I have strong partnerships with local organisations including South Yorkshire Police, Forensic Science Service and a digital autopsy company. These links are used to enrich the students learning experience and allow them to appreciate how Anatomy relates to a range of careers. I have a particular interest in tailoring teaching and learning to the individual and often use technology to do this. One of my recent projects was a mass on-line learning course on a murder case in Sheffield and how it was solved using facial reconstruction.

As a member of the Education Committee I have been an assessor for the Anatomical Training Programme for a number of years. More recently, I am contributing to the development of core anatomical syllabi in areas of anatomical relevance, and leading the group which is developing the core embryology syllabus.

As a Senior Lecturer in Anatomy at Royal College of Surgeons Ireland, with a background in general Surgery, I teach on a wide range of both undergraduate and postgraduate courses here within RCSI (Medicine, Physiotherapy, Physicians Associates, MRCS & surgical courses etc.). While I completed both an MD and PhD in biosciences research, in recent years my interest has gravitated more towards the areas of education and vocational training, responsible for the administration of a number of courses or modules in the college. I also currently research and teach (workshops & PgDipEd) in specific fields of medical education such as assessment, curriculum and theories of learning. My interest in Technology Enhanced Learning is primarily in conjunction with colleagues from the international Moodle Community, based both in Ireland and abroad.

As Research Officer, I chair the Research Advisory Committee and our role is to raise awareness of research involving the anatomical sciences principally through the Society studentship schemes, which provide post-graduate research studentships and undergraduate summer vacation research scholarships. We also promote research supported by the Society or otherwise conducted by its membership, the research symposia that form part of the Society meetings, and the Society journals.

As a Senior Lecturer in the Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University, I conduct research into molecular neuroanatomy and brain development. I am particularly interested in the development of the sensorimotor system in relation to cerebral palsy, the development of the human cerebral cortex in relation to autism spectrum disorders, and finding ways to map gene expression in the early human fetal forebrain. I also currently teach anatomy to medical undergraduates and neuroanatomy to biomedical science undergraduates and masters students studying neuroscience and behaviour.

As Lecturer in Anatomy and Developmental Biology, my research interests are in providing a greater understanding of how the heart develops, and how development can go wrong leading to congenital heart defects. Currently, I am particularly interested in the role haemodynamics plays. My teaching is on gross anatomy and developmental biology at the University of Nottingham where I am also course convenor for a number of modules in the medical curriculum.

As WMC officer, I am responsible for leading the management and editing of the Anatomical Society website and social media platforms and for chairing the WMC committee. The WMC committee itself is composed of several members, each with a responsibility for managing and editing particular sections of the website and for specific social media and communication activities. The committee is also responsible for judging the biannual Anatomical Society Best Image Prize.

As a Lecturer in Anatomy at the Anatomy and Clinical Skills Centre within the School of Medical Education at Newcastle University, I am responsible for delivery and management of the MBBS curriculum. I also contribute gross anatomy, embryology and histology teaching to further undergraduate and postgraduate medical sciences and medical education degrees as well as clinical training programmes. My research concerns developing and evaluating innovative creative, artistic and digital learning and teaching approaches in anatomy education.

As Deputy WMC officer, I work with the WMC Officer to help coordinate the management and editing of the Anatomical Society website and social media platforms and participate in all activities of the WMC committee.

I am a Senior Lecturer in Anatomy and Neuroscience at the Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience in the School of Medicine at University College Cork, Ireland. The central aim of my research is to understand the molecular mechanisms that are important for the differentiation, growth and maintenance of neurons across the life-span. We aim to use new understanding of molecular signaling to design and develop new therapies for neuroprotection and differentiation. My research in anatomy education focuses on the Teaching for Understanding Framework and its use in course design and implementation in anatomy education.

As WMCC member, I contribute to the management of the society’s social media platforms to share relevant news with the society’s members and help with communications to potential new members.

As Teaching Fellow at Brighton and Sussex Medical School as well as teaching anatomy, my research investigates how today’s medical students and doctors use social media and whether this poses a threat or an opportunity to their careers. I am also involved in a research project to create a core anatomy syllabus for Pharmacy students.

As Program Development Coordinator, I teach anatomy at University College Cork, Ireland and am working on the development of a new MSc programme in Human Anatomy. I am interested in researching alternative preservation techniques along with other anatomical education topics.

My primary role is to represent the student members of the society at council and meetings. I also aim to engage with current and potential new student members through our website, social media and by organising student events. My society membership prior to taking up a council position encouraged me towards a more academic career, and I would like to inspire and support other students in gaining the benefits of the society.

I am currently a PhD student in musculoskeletal tissue engineering at Edinburgh University in the Paxton lab. I am studying the bone-tendon enthesis of the deep flexor of the human finger, using interfacial co-culture of fibroblasts and osteoblasts to investigate repair of a problematic injury zone. I have a clinical background, with a focus on plastic and hand surgery. I am also involved with undergraduate and postgraduate anatomy teaching locally and regionally.